Hoi An to offer free Wi-Fi around town

2011-10-10 (GMT + 7)

Tourists visiting Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage town, will be able to surf the internet for free from the end of this year, according to the Quang Nam Province Department of Information and Communications.

Ho Quang Buu, the department director, said together with the Vietnam Data Communications Area 3 and Quang Nam Telecom it had drafted a plan for setting up a Wi-Fi system.

It will cost around VND23 billion (US$1.1 million), which will be provided by private sources.

Businesses investing in Hoi An were willing to put up the money, Buu said.

There will be 350 hotspots in areas where large numbers of people gather.

In 1999 UNESCO declared Hoi An a world heritage site for being a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port in the 15th to 19th centuries and having buildings with a unique blend of local and foreign influences.

It is a popular tourist site, attracting large numbers of both locals and foreigners.